Histological profile of kidney malignancies at a tertiary hospital in the Ashanti Region Of Ghana; A 9-year review

Background: Kidney cancer is the 14th most prevalent cancer worldwide, however, it is relatively less common in Ghana compared to other countries in northern and southern Africa. This study presents the profile and prevalence of kidney cancer cases in Ghana. Methods: The study analyzed the histopathological data of 321 cases of kidney cancer obtained from pathology records at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Ghana. Results: Most of the kidney malignancies were Wilm's tumor (WT) (nephroblastoma), accounting for 44% (n = 141) of all cases, followed by renal cell cancer (RCC) (40%, 127), kidney lymphoma (11%, 37), urothelial caner (4%, 13), and sarcoma (1%, 3). Children were most affected by the disease, especially WT. Age distribution of the disease was right skewed, and trend analysis showed a slight decline since 2014. Conclusion: WT is the most common type of kidney cancer in Ghana followed by RCC. The implementation of Ghana's “National Strategy for Cancer Control 2012–2016” has led to a large decrease in the occurrence of the disease in the country.